Pruning implement



"Feb, 9', 1926.

, 1,572,426" J. H. FooTE PRUNING IMPLEMENT 'Filed May '25, 1925 ATTORNEYS Patented F eb. 9, 1926.

UNITED iTS JOHN nnnavroorn, or DELTA, UTAH.

PRUNING IIVIPLEMENT.

Application filed May 23, 1925. Serial N'o. 32,482.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY Foore, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Delta, in the county of Millard and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pruning Implements, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an. improved hand implement especially designed for the use of gardeners and beet thinners.

The present invention proposes the useot a blocking tool attached to a handle of con venient length and having changeable blades of varying width to suit the variety o'f vegetables to be thinned and organizes with these elements a pair of vthinning tweezers, the tweezers being disposed opposite the blade and being operable from the grip end of the handle. The object of the invention resides in provision of a device of this character which may be easily and quickly manipulated tov alternately7 block and thin.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is of-siniple and durable construction, reliable and effective in operation, well balanced and of light weight, and easy and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages reside in..

certain novel features of the construction, arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed ont in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompm nying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which;

Figure 1 is a vienv in side ele ration showing` one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof,

Figure 3 is a view in section on line S-3 of Figure l, and

Figure ft is a view in longitudinal section on line JC-4C of Fig. 2.

Referring to thc drawings the numeral l designates a handle of convenient length, the

forward end of which is fitted and fixed in the socket of an attaching member 2, the

latter having an angular extension 3 on which both the tweezers and blocking tools -a re mounted.

the

ditions niet with in practice. A large size blade is shown in dotted lines in FiO. 3. Each blade has a pair of vertically alined holes, the lowerof which is adapted to receive a pin 5 integral with'or suitably secured to an attaching bracket 6, the latter beingy integral with or suitably iixed to the lower end ot the angular extension 3 of the attaching member. 7 completes the secure though releasable fastening o'f the blade t to its attaching bracket.

VA pair of thinning tweezers designated generally at 8 are provided and is preferably constructed of a single piece of resilient metal, such as spring steel or the like, bent to substantially U-shaped Aform and having a curved springy body portion 9 and arms 10. The outer end portions of the armsr 10 are formedto constitute the jaws 1l of the thinning tweezers. rIhe metal of the tweezers is twisted tc provide substantiallyrigid jaws and flat jaw faces 12. One of the arms 10 is riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the extension 3 as indicated at 13. springy body portion 9, by virtue of its inherent resiliency, tends to spread the jaws of the tweezers.

In order to bring the jaw 'faces 12 tiatly into engagementwith each other' or into effective engagement with the vegetation to be thinned, hand grip operated means are provided for vpositively drawing the outer movable jaw up against the inner fixed jaw. 'l`l1e hand grip operated means comprise an operating lever 15 adapted to be gripped by the hand and having offset arm .lt pivoted as at 1T to the opposite sides of a sleeve 18 fastened to thehandle l and projecting rearwardly thereof. A link 19 is provided and has one end pivoted as at 20 `to the hand lever,`tlie other end of the link having an olfset guide portion21 connected thereto and operating in a slot 22 in the sleeve, the guide of the link being connected to the rear end of a transversely flexible though longitudinally inextensible rod 23 extending through the 'sleevel 18 and through a slot 24 in the handle l to the forward end of the tool. A staple 25 driven into the handle serves as a guide for the iiexible rod. At its forward end the flexible rod 23 has an eye or loop 26 engaged in a slot 27 formed in the rear end of asliding rod 2.8,- lhe rod 28 operates through guide 29 and has a yoke 30 tbreadflly @attested te ,its forward A bolt and nut The i The arms 3l ofthe yoke 30 are angular and have a plurality of transversely alined holes any two of which may be registered with a selected one of a plurality 'of cooperableV handhebrings the tweezers into action and reduces the blocksto singles.` rThe workman then takes one ystep in advance and repeats the operation completing the work of thinning without getting down on his hands and knees.

I claim:

"l, lnv an implement of k,the character described, ahandle, and a pairL oi thinning tweezers carried by the* handle, -said tweezers being constructed oi'.l a single piece ct meta-l bent to substantially U-'shaped form and havinga curvedspringy body portion and a pairot arms integral-,with said body portion, one of the armsbeingiixedly-conneot'ed to the handle member, jaws `"formed on the arms, the inherent resiliency/of the bodyl portionY normally holding the jaws n spread, and meaiis for bringing the'ja'wsto- Uether. n Y

Y Q.v ln an implement ot lthe character dcscrib'ed, a handle, and la `pair off thinning tweezers carried bythe liandle,fsaid tweezers bein@ constructed of a single piece ofmetal bent'ito `substantially lelshaped. term. and, having a vcurved springy body yponton tand aA pair of arms integral with said body por* tion, one ont-the arms beingfi-edlyconnected f to lthe handle member, jaws formed-on the arms, the inherent resiliency of the body: portionnormally holding the jaws' spread.

and means for bringing the jaws together, and comprising' handlelever, and motion transmissionmeans between the hand `leverandthe movable jaw.

3. ln an vimplement-ol the chz-rracter described, a handle, and a'pairof thinning tweezers v carried by the handle, i said tweezers being constructed-ot e.- single piece of metal Vbent' to substantiallyU-sha-ped form land having a. curved3springywbodyportion and a pair of arms integral with said ,body portion, one of the'` arms being iXedly connected to the handle member, jaws formed on the arms, the inherent resiliency of the 4'body -portin normally holding the Ajaws spread, and means for bringing the jaws together, and comprising a handle lever, and motion transmission means between the hand lever andthe vmovable jaw, andA 1ncluding a pair of connected rods, a link between thehand lever and oneo'f .the rods, and a yokeY between the other rod and the movable Yj aw. i

4.. Inan implement of thevcharacter descr.ibe,d,.ahandle, and apair ot thinning tweezers carried by the handle,said tweezers being constructedcf a single piece of metal bent to substantially U-shaped torni. and having acurvedspringy body portion and a pair of arms integral with said body portion, one of the arms being lixedly connected to the handle member, jaws. formed on vthe arms, the inherent resiliency ot `the body portion lnormally holding the jaws spread, and means. for bringing the jawsy together, and comprising aliandle lever, and motnm transmission.means between 4the/,hand lever andthe movable jaw, vand including a upair or" connected rodsn a linlebetwccl'i the hand lever. and one of the=rods, and ayokebetween xthe other rod. and fthe mcwable jaw,

said yoke having oi'l'set arms,fadjustably and pirotally :connected to 4thejinovable jaw.

:5..ln'an implement otzthe hcharaccr dcscribed, a handle, and. a pairol" thinning tweezers caaried by thchandle, said tweezers beingconstrnctedof asingle piece oi'- metal bent to substantially l haped liorm and having a vcarved .springy body prtion and a pair of arms integral Ywith saidbody portion, one ctthe arms being liiedly connected to the handle member, jaws -ilfonrnedy on the. arms, the inherent resiliency ot ythe body portion normallyholding :the jaws spread, and-means for bringing` the jaws together. and comprising alrandlelever, and motion transmission means between lherhand lever and the `n'iovable jawn and including` a pair Y of connected rods, a-link betweenlthe hand lever and onelor' the rods, :said link having a guide, a sleeve attached to the handle nienrber land: slottedfto -coact with the guide, and a yoke between the other rod and the movable jaw.

. JOHN HENRY lfUO'iil. 

